Fabric mending device



Dec. 16, 1947. c. PATASNIK 2 9 FABRIC MENDING DEVICE Filed Sept. 2, 1944 walk??? Patented Dec. 16, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,432,629 time MENDING DEVILCE Charles Patasnik, Chicago, 111. Application settemberz, 1944, Serial No. 552,460 '5 Claims. (01. 212341) This invention relates to devices for facilitating the patching of fabrics by pressing an adhesive-coated patch over the torn part of the f b ici It has heretofore been proposed to patch fabrics by placing over the torn part of the .fabric a patch which is coated on one side with a substance which becomes an adherent upon the applicationof heat, and then by the useoi a hot flat iron adhering the patch to the fabric. The adherent generally. comprises'a coating of .a thermqeplastic 'material. In my. Patent .No. 2,365,.432

issued December 19, 19451 I show a haddleeshaped d ice or a i ai ne he. hot p e sw ed tches. t ar ent slus a s oqk n K shirt sleeves, etc. The paddleof that. patent consists essentiallyof a flat wooden member having a flat knob at one end thereof constituting the working face. The paddle is inserted into a stocking until the part to be mended is over the knob, which then acts as 'a base for receiving the pressure of'th'e hot flat iron. After the pressing 'or patching operation the end of the stock ing is gripped in one hand and the paddle in the other hand and the stocking is removed from the paddle. This requires the use of .two hands. It isone of the objects of the present invention to provide a mounting for the paddle so arranged that it does not have to be held manually While positioning thereon a, stockingor other garment to bemended, or while removingthe garment from the paddle. As a resultboth hands can be used to position a stocking on thepaddle quickly, one. hand smoothing the stocking of 'folds or wrinkles while the stocking is being pulled ,onto the paddle by the. other hand. Also, when the patching operation has been completed the operator can be pulling the stocking off of the paddle with one hand whileat the same time with the other hand picking up another-stocking from the pile of stockings to be mended. I

In the preferred embodiment of, the present i r n ee he Pa dl i m nt d for swinging movement on a base which is fixed. inposition. Spring means normally hold the paddle .at an angle of approximately 45 to the horizontal with the head or work-receiving knob at the upper end of the paddle. This facilitates the positioning ofa garment on the paddle and its. subsequent removal'therefrom. After the garment has been placed over the working end of the paddle the paddle is swung to a horizontal position. In that. position the front or working end of the paddle rests upon a short support which also 2 e spaces the main body of the, paddle from the top surface of the base. This is ofparticular in portance in certain types of mending operations where it is desirable to avoid ereasingor. chan ing the. crease or press in a portion of the gar.- ment spaced from the part ibeing atched For instance, in patchinga blouse sleeve, especially if the need ,for patching has not been discovered until after the sleeve has been ironed it is desirable that any creases that have been intentiona ly f m nth p u ironies 9 the ee ha ln t e han ed nd 3 43 mi setional creases shall be formed, In the. patching operation the paddle is inside the sleeveso that the sleeve encompasses the paddle. I f, theretore, the dd is nbmugh t rest o e -e. porting base it will rest on a portion 02171 16 sleeve and willtend to wrinkle the sleeve. The elevao f. he. mai r t qn i e pad l r m th base, d n th a hin o ra i eeb e i ns or f the ro t o he Pad e red It is fur her ob ect o t e r en i e t t rsi ae a un g l ra c ch n needle. of the character above described which ,does not ha o he he manl a against s de D E-1?" Wa m nt d ri he Pa h P es i -peeration. Thus ,.during that operation, the-operator holds the iron in one hand and has-theother hand free for otheruse. as, for instance, to hold the adjacent parts of the garment or of the patch in. proper position. i

. The attainment of the above and further objects of. the present v invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conj unction with the accompanying drawing forming apart thereof.

Ie aw I 1 Figure 1 is .a perspectiveview of a device e1nt me the n inten i n Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device of Figure 1 i1lustrating the device in userand l 4 Figure 31s a section taken along the line 3-3 of Ei ureZ.

Referringnow more particularly to the drawing, the fabric. mending device consists of a base i, o'fwood or the like, having a number of holes 2 therein for securing the device to an ironin table. in any desired manner, as by nails or screws passing through the holes 2. vAt one end ofthe base I is mounted a spring sheet metal hinge 4 as by a pair of screws 5. A paddle or support 1 for a knob 8 is mounted at one end on the spring 4 as by a pair of screws ||0. The spring 4 supports the wooden paddle l in a normal inoperative position at an angle approximately 45 to the plane of the base I. The knob 8, which is nailed or otherwise rigidly secured to the forward end of the paddle, consists of a round wooden knob, fiat at the top and rounded at its upper portion l2 along a smooth curve free of sharp corners. Above the junction of the circular side wall I3 of the knob with the top of the paddle or support 7 the knob is undercut around its entire periphery to form a peripheral groove M. The purpose of this groove is to enable the securing of a piece of wax paper or the like over the top of the knob for purposes which will be set forth more fully as this description proceeds.

A supporting block I6 is nailed or otherwise secured to the base I adjacent the front thereof for supporting the forward end of the paddle when the same is in its lowered position. When the paddle l is swung towards a horizontal position against the spring action of the spring hinge 4 the paddle I ultimately comes into engagement with the block [6, the block l6 being cut out at the top to provide a pair of fingers 18-48 which very loosely embrace the sides I9 of the paddle I when the paddle rests on the undercut surface 20 of the supporting block [6.

A description will now be given of the manner of using the device thus far described. First a piece of waxed paper 22 is wrapped over the knob 8 and is secured in place in any desired manner, as by passing a rubber band over the waxed paper so that the rubber band forces part of the waxed paper into the undercut peripheral groove M. This pieceof paper once positioned remains in place for a large number of patching operations. Thereafter a stocking or the like 24 is slipped over the paddle 1 until the portion of the stocking where the hole to be patched is located is over the flat top surface of the knob 8. The paddle is then manually lowered to a horizontal position. With the stocking thus positioned the operator places over the hole in the stocking a cloth patch 23 which is already impregnated on its under side with a suitable thermo-plastic adherent. The operator then places the base of a hot flat iron 24 over the patch 23 so that the heat of the iron softens the thermo-plastic coating causing it to fiow and to adhere the patch to the stocking. During the application of the flat iron over the patch the paddle l is held against side movement by the fingers I8-l3 of the block it. After the heat has been applied for a proper time interval the iron is lifted and the paddle allowed to resume its normal inclined position. The operator can then remove the stocking from the paddle by simply pulling upwardly on the stocking with one hand while with the other hand the operator is selecting another stocking from the pile to be repaired.

It is to be noted that duriing the patching operation only a very small part of the stocking is being compressed between the under surface of the paddle 1 and the block IS. The rest of the stocking lies loosely in the space between the base I and the paddle 1. This prevents the paddle from'wrinkling or creasing the part of the stooking on the underside of the paddle. If a patch is to be applied to the sleeve of an already pressed blouse it is very important that the part of the blouse on the under side of the paddle I shall not have any undesirable permanent creases or Wrinkles formed therein. By the present invention this is avoided because when the paddle is in its horizontal position it is sufficiently elevated from the base I to permit the material to lie in loose folds in that space, and the only place where a pressure is exerted against the material on the under side of the paddle 1 is over the very limited area of contact between the paddle 1 and the support l6. By exercising a little care the operator can make certain that the small amount of material that lies between the paddle I nd the block I6 is not folded and therefore no crease will be formed therein, even though the rest of the material between the block 16 and the hinge A on the under side of the paddle 1 lies in folds in order to bring the torn part of the garment over the knob 8. d

An explanation will now be given of the reason for using the waxed paper covering on the knob B. When the thermo-plastic coating on the under side ofthe patch 23 is being heated and caused to flow, it is necessary to prevent that thermo-plastic from penetrating the wood. It is found that the thermo-plastic material does not penetrate the waxed paper. The paper therefore protects the wood. In the absence of such protection some of the thermo-plastic material on the under side of the patch would stick to the top surface of the wooden knob with the result that when the next garment to be patched is placed over the knob and heat applied the previously deposited thermo-plastic on the knob would cause the superposed garment to become adhered to the wood. By interposing the Wax paper between the wood and the garment this is avoided.

In compliance with the requirements of the patent statutes I have here shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention. It is, however, to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction here shown, the same being merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. What is considered new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent 1. Apparatus of the class described comprising a mending knob adapted to be inserted into a garment to be mended, said knob having a smooth working face, pivoted means for mounting the knob for swinging movement from a working position to a non-working position and a support constituting a stop against which the pivoted means bears in its Working position, said stop including fingers embracing the pivoted means and restraining it against side movement.

2. Apparatus of the class described comprising a mending knob adapted to be inserted into a garment to be mended, said knob having a smooth working face, means for mounting the knob for swinging movement from a working position to a non-working position, said means including means for resiliently biasing the knob to its nonworking position, and means for supporting the knob in its working position, said last named means including means for holding the knob against side movement.

3. Apparatus of the class described comprising a base, a knob support of substantially greater length than width, means for securing one end of the support to the base for swinging movement from a substantially horizontal working position to a non-working position at a substantial angle to the horizontal, a knob secured to the support at the forward end thereof and having a smooth working face, and means on the base for holding the support in its working position with substantially its entire length spaced from the base.

4. A fabric mending device for facilitating the operation of adhering a plastic coated patch to a fabric by hot pressing the patch to the fabric, said device comprising a base, a knob support, a smooth topped knob on the forward end of the support, means for securing the rear end of the support to the base for swinging motion towards and away from the base and for biasing the support towards an inoperative position with the forward end thereof away from the base, said securing means maintaining the rear end of the upport spaced above the base, said base having means constituting a supporting stop against which the forward end of the swinging knob support bears in its lowered position.

5. A fabric mending device for facilitating the operation of adhering a plastic coated patch to a fabric by hot pressing the patch to the fabric, said device comprising a lever, an upwardly projecting smooth top knob secured to the lever at one end thereof, a pivot support for the opposite end of the lever, the lever being of a length sufiicient to enable insertion of a fabric garment over the knob to position the part of the garment to be 6 patched directly over the top of the knob for the application of a hot pressing iron thereon while the rest of the garment surrounds the lever, the hot iron receiving surface of the knob being a sufficient distance from the lever so that manual REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 20 Number Name Date 530,091 Cummings Dec. 4, 1894 1,751,956 Torgersen Mar. 25, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 17,810 Switzerland Oct. 28, 1898 

